DUBAI: Jordanian-Romanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi said Wednesday on Instagram that her stepfather has died.
In a heart-felt message, captioning a cheerful picture of her childhood with him, she wrote: “You made the most noble choice: to be the father of a child that is not yours. I prayed to God that he’d take my tears and use them as fuel to give you more life.”
“I will miss you forever daddy. My heart is shattered,” Muaddi, who celebrated her 34th birthday this week, added.
The shoemaker, adored by celebrities, was born to a Jordanian father and a Romanian mother, said in an interview with Vogue Arabia magazine that her family moved to Amman a few weeks after she was born.
Her parents split when she was six and she returned to Romania with her mother.
“I wasn’t aware of what my mom did to help me as a child and it took me years to understand. The opportunities I have today are mostly because she took me out of Jordan. Not because it’s not a good place to live, but because my dad is very conservative and probably would not have liked for me to have a career,” she explained.
Fast-forward to 2020, the celebrated designer has a well-established brand, famous for its signature flared heels, that has garnered a loyal checklist of famous fans, including Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin Bieber.
